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Louisville shows vulnerability as demands grow on Russ Smith

As Russ Smith closes in on the end of his college career, however, his physical health isn't the only concern for No. 4 seed Louisville heading into its Midwest Regional semifinal on Friday against rival Kentucky.

After the meat grinder of a weekend was complete and Louisville was safely into the Sweet 16, Russ Smith ran through the litany of ailments he's been dealing with while pursuing a second consecutive national title.

"The finger, some bruised spots on my leg; I twisted up my ankle a little bit, my back," he said. "So everything is just bad. I need some rest, man. I'm tired. I could use some treatment and rehab."

As Smith closes in on the end of his college career, however, his physical health isn't the only concern for No. 4 seed Louisville heading into its Midwest Regional semifinal on Friday against rival Kentucky. Unlike last year, when Smith was a high-scoring accessory on a team with an elite point guard and fearsome post game, this version of the Cardinals demands so much more of him. And after struggling through two games in Orlando, where he made a combined six of 19 field goals, coach Rick Pitino was critical of his star player's hyper-aggressive approach when opposing teams are geared to stop him.

"Russ Smith has grown so much as a basketball player, but he still has one thing left, and I tried to explain this to him at halftime, but he has a difficult time understanding," Pitino said following Saturday's 66-51 victory against Saint Louis. "I said Russ, if I was in the other locker room do you think I would even let you breathe any time down the court?

"All the great ones from Michael Jordan to Kobe (Bryant), they don't try to score 20 points in the first quarter. They get everybody else the ball and they let the game come to them, and the other team fatigues and things open up. He doesn't understand the scouting of the other teams."

With Creighton's Doug McDermott now out of the NCAA tournament, Smith, Connecticut's Shabazz Napier and Michigan's Nik Stauskas are the most gifted pure scorers remaining.

And after averaging 22.3 points in last year's tournament, Smith, generously listed at 6-feet, undoubtedly has the experience and confidence to carry the Cardinals back to a Final Four.

Smith, however, also has had to shoulder more point guard responsibilities this season without Peyton Siva and playing alongside another small guard in Chris Jones, who plays with a scoring mentality.

Smith appeared to find a comfort zone late this season. During one stretch in February, he was 6-for-6 from three-point range and scored 26 in an impressive road victory at Southern Methodist, then turned around three days later and had just two field goal attempts but 13 assists in a blowout win against UConn. During the American Athletic Conference tournament, Smith was 25-for-47 from the field in three games, including a 42-point explosion against Houston.

But the Cardinals found offense much tougher to come by in the first two games of the NCAA tournament. Against Manhattan in the Round of 64, Louisville shot 36.4% from the field and needed a late surge to overcome an upset bid, 71-64. Against Saint Louis, the Cardinals scored just 25 points in the first half and missed their first 10 shots of the second, briefly falling behind before their defensive pressure took over. Louisville also committed 12 and 19 turnovers, respectively, in the two games.

"It's been a grind," forward Stephan Van Treese said. "Both Saint Louis and Manhattan are going to slow you down, play good defense, so it's more of an ugly game. We showed we could play both ways, up and down and obviously grinding it out. It shows our growth really in a sense."

Smith also pointed to the opponent's style of play as a factor in Louisville's ugly offense and the fact that this year's team does not have nearly as much experience playing together as the past two when the Cardinals went to the Final Four.

"In the tournament 36% is 46%," Smith said. "Teams are going to turn up their defense; they're not going to just let us run around and do whatever we want. I'm still having trouble adjusting, but I'll get better and the guys are still having trouble adjusting to the game play, the game style, the possessions, so we have to do a better job of taking care of the ball and just moving on. This is a whole new group of guys so not everything is going to be sweet or pretty. We're just getting the job done."

Smith is also going to have to get the job done, despite a long list of bumps and bruises, including a thumb injury he suffered during the first half of the Manhattan game. Smith admitted the thumb had affected his shooting and that he had adjusted too much to prevent hurting it worse, but he should have enough time before Friday to see significant improvement in that area.

Pitino, however, will be just as concerned about whether Smith can harness his unbridled energy enough to make good decisions against Kentucky, which has suddenly turned into a defensive juggernaut late in the season.

Their first meeting on Dec. 28 was one of those games where Smith's aggressiveness and fearlessness worked against him. He was seven of 20 from the field with four turnovers. He also missed some key free throws when the game was close in the second half, allowing Kentucky to earn a 73-66 victory at Rupp Arena.

"If I can just get Russ to understand what the other coach is saying in the locker room, we'll come of age and move on and be very successful." Pitino said. "But that's something he hasn't grasped. That's the last hurdle for Russ Smith."​

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San Diego State Aztecs players celebrate against the North Dakota State Bison in the second half of a men's college basketball game during the third round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at Veterans Memorial Arena.
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Michigan State Spartans guard Gary Harris (14) celebrates against the Harvard Crimson in the second half of a men's college basketball game during the third round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at Veterans Memorial Arena.
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